Indiana Fever vs. Seattle Storm Prediction and Odds - 6/1/21
It’s an interconference clash on the parquet floor in the Pacific Northwest in WNBA action. The Indiana Fever are on the road as they make the trip to face the Seattle Storm Tuesday night. Indiana was swept in a two-game road set against Las Vegas as they were drubbed 101-78 in the back half of that set Sunday in their last game. Seattle dropped Minnesota 82-72 Friday night at home in their most recent contest. The Storm have won seven of the last 10 meetings though they split two meetings in the bubble last season with the “home” team winning each game. In the most recent matchup, it was Seattle taking an 87-74 victory on August 25, 2020.
Indiana Fever Hoping to Take Down League-Leading Storm
Indiana was swept in a two-game set on the road by Las Vegas over the weekend and now hopes to get back on track as they face the league’s top team in the Pacific Northwest. The Fever enter this game 1-7 on the year, leaving them in the basement of the WNBA, two games behind the Sky for the final playoff spot. In Sunday’s game, Indiana held an 8-3 lead early on before getting hammered by a 21-2 run by the Aces to trail by 14 late in the first quarter. The Fever couldn’t get closer than 12 the rest of the way as they went down in blowout fashion. Indiana shot 38.8% from the field, including only five of 23 from three-point range, and allowed the Aces to shoot 56.7% in the contest. Victoria Vivians led the Fever with 17 points in the loss.
The Fever comes into this game 10th in the league in scoring offense with 76.4 points per game. Indiana is sixth in the league in rebounding (35.8 boards per contest) and is eighth in the league in assists with an average of 17.9 dimes per game. The Fever are 11th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 88.8 points a night. Kelsey Mitchell is one of two players for the Fever averaging in double figures with 14.6 points a night. Teaira McCowan (11.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.1 blocks) and Danielle Robinson (9.1 points, 3.5 assists) are good secondary options. Tiffany Mitchell (9.9 points), Jantel Lavender, Bernadett Hatar, Victoria Vivians, Jessica Breland, Lindsey Allen, Kysre Gondrezick and Chelsey Perry are looked at to contribute for coach Pokey Chatman. Indiana is 8th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 41.1% as a team on the year. The Fever are 12th in threes per game (4.6) while standing 11th by hitting 26.4% of their long-range attempts. Indiana is fifth in free throw shooting as they sink 80.6% of their chances at the stripe this season. Hatar missed the last five games with an ankle injury and is questionable here.
Seattle Storm Look to Keep Rolling
Seattle earned their fourth straight win as they took care of Minnesota on the road Friday night in their previous contest. The Storm entered Tuesday with the top record in the WNBA at 5-1 but they’ll be playing their first game under a new coach as Dan Hughes retired Sunday, turning the reins over to assistant Noelle Quinn. Against Minnesota, Seattle bolted to a 15-2 lead just over four minutes into the game only to see the Lynx rally to tie the game at 29 with 8:44 to play in the first half. The Storm regrouped, outscoring the Lynx 29-7 the rest of the half en route to a 22-point halftime advantage. Seattle wasn’t challenged the rest of the way, leading by as many as 30 before easing off the gas. The Storm shot 48.6% from the field, including four of 17 from beyond the arc, and held a 35-32 advantage on the glass. Breanna Stewart led Seattle with 15 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
The Storm comes into this contest third in the league in scoring offense with an average of 89.8 points per game. Seattle is third in rebounding (37.5 boards per contest) and is first in the league in assists by dishing out 21.8 dimes per night this year. The Storm is 10th in scoring defense as they allow 85.5 points a game so far this year. Breanna Stewart leads the team with 22.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest. Jewell Loyd (19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists) and Sue Bird (11.7 points, 5.5 assists) are solid secondary options. Coach Noelle Quinn has a solid group to work with as her team can get production from Katie Lou Samuelson, Jordin Canada, Candice Dupree, Ezi Magbegor, Stephanie Talbot, Kennedy Burke, Epiphanny Prince and Kiana Williams. The Storm are second in the league in field goal percentage as they convert 45.6% of their shots from the floor this year. Seattle is tied for second in the league in three-point field goals made per game (9.2) and is fourth in three-point percentage as they knock down 37.4% percent from beyond the arc. The Storm are average at the line, ranking sixth in the league by converting 80.4% of their chances. Samuelson is out for the time being as she is part of Team USA’s three-on-three team, which is in qualifying for the Summer Olympics. She’ll be back in early June. Mikiah Herbert Harrington is out for the year as she is pregnant.
Pick: Seattle Storm -15
This one’s pretty cut and dry when you get right down to it. Indiana is 1-7 on the year and we just watched them give up 113 and 101 points in a pair of blowout losses to Las Vegas. Now the Fever has to contend with the Storm, who has won four straight games and who have the league’s best record. Stewart, Loyd and Bird comprise a trio that is tough to stop, even on the best of days. Seeing how well the Storm is playing on the offensive end of the floor, you can’t expect much of a drop-off just because it’s Quinn coaching the team instead of Hughes. Seattle is at home here and they roll to an easy victory as Indiana can’t slow the Storm down.
Total: Over 170
Indiana has struggled shooting the ball this season but the fact remains that their defense has been a letdown. That helped push both games with Las Vegas over the total, giving the over a 4-4 mark in their contests this season. The Fever couldn’t slow down a team that loves to push the tempo and that’s what they are going to deal with in this one as well. Seattle loves to run and gun as they are third in the league in scoring this season. The Storm have seen the over hit in five of their six games this season. They likely could have been a perfect six for six had they not pulled the plug in the fourth quarter against Minnesota as they put up only five points in the stanza. Seattle blitzes Indiana early and that helps push this one over the mark.
